Addonizio served as mayor from 1962 until 1970 when he lost his reelection bid. A state investigation into his administration on the heels of the 1967 riots, which occurred during his tenure, led to the discovery that Addonizio and other city officials were taking kickbacks from city contractors. Addonizio was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey and convicted of corruption after leaving office.

Much of the corruption became public when he was convicted, along with five others working in or through his administration, of "literally delivering the city into the hands of organized crime," according to former U.S. District Judge Herbert J. Stern.